One Sunny Day
by Xyloto
Summary: A goat named Hiro stumbles across a white wolf named Anari. Thinking she was dead, he dragged her to the safety of the forest to find that she was very much alive.
1. The Meeting

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud."

—Coco Chanel

* * *

**Chapter 1**

** The Meeting**

Anari, a young, white she-wolf with yellow eyes, put one paw in front of the other carefully, not even upsetting a blade of grass. She was completely focused on her prey, a white rabbit that she managed to spot amongst the snow. She nearly licked her muzzle in anticipation. She was really hungry, and would have this rabbit all to herself if she caught it. Just a little closer.

Then she jumped. The rabbit saw her and shouted in fright and tried to run, but Anari held it down with one strong paw and bit into its throat, cutting its jugular and killing it. Some blood stained the fur of the rabbit, but she didn't mind. The blood that trickled into her mouth made her mouth water. Just as she was about to bite into it, she heard a voice behind.

"That was some catch, that was." Barry, the pack leader, came up from behind her. Anari turned around and faced him, licking the blood from her nose.

"It was my catch, and I get to eat it," Anari said. She stood over the dead rabbit defensively. "I'll go and hunt for the others when I'm finished."

"You don't have to," said Barry. "We've already caught a few goats while you were stalkin' that rabbit. I've been thinkin', since you've been sleepin' outside with the others, it must be real cold. Hows about you sleep with me in the cave tonight? I'll make it worth your while."

Anari showed her teeth. "I don't think so." Barry only shrugged, as if Anari wasn't thinking about ripping his throat out.

"Fine by me. Just want you to know that you're welcome any time you want."

"Thanks for the offer," Anari said sarcastically, then turned to bite into her rabbit with a growl. Barry turned around and started at a run back towards Jumping Gorges, where the wolf pack currently stayed. As Anari ate her lunch, she had to shake herself a few times when the falling snow got to heavy on her. When she was finished, the remains of the rabbit was quickly being covered up by the snow, so she left it there and started at a trot back towards her home.

Jumping Gorges was a rocky place where a pack of wolves live. Their leader used to be Giro, who had a scar across his right eye, and who had lost his right ear fighting with a goat years ago. But he had died at an old age, along with his mate. The beta was Barry. He quickly became used to be new power that he had over the wolves. Around the time Giro was getting older and older was when Anari was born. When she was almost an adult, both of her parents had died two winters before when a blizzard ravaged hal of the forest. Dead animals were littered everywhere when it was over, frozen solid. That winter, the wolves didn't have any need to hunt, and instead ate the meat when it unfroze, which was just as good as recently hunted prey. Ever since Anari had become an adult the year before, Barry had taken a liking to her, and always tried to get her to sleep with him in his cave, and possibly even try to mate on the same night. She had started to grow sick of it, and even took to snapping at him sometimes, but it was as if he didn't even mind the scathing looks, or the near biting. She'd do anything he'd say since he was alpha. Anything but sleep or mate with him. She'd rather be best friends with a goat.

As she walked closer and closer towards Jumping Gorges, the snow started to get deeper and deeper, until Anari had to jump to get distance. She was quickly growing tired, and soon she had to stop and rest. Despite being surrounded by snow, her fur was getting hotter and hotter, and she was panting, her tongue lolling out. Squaring her haunches, she decided to try another jump. This one was the longest one yet, and as she was in the air, she noticed a figure in the trees, but before she could see it clearly, she landed. The snow was deeper here, and her paw slipped on some snow that was wet. She lost her balance, and she fell. Pain exploded in her front left leg, where her body had landed on.

She whimpered in pain. It was all she could do. The snow started to fall even quickly, as if sensing her trouble and wanted to end her life in on a cold winter. _'Am I going to die like my parents?' _The thought made her panic. She wasn't ready to go yet! She had a whole life ahead of her! She threw back her head and howled as loud as she could. She would stay with Barry for the rest of her life if it meant surviving this. But the wind howled too, so loud that she was sure no one would be able to hear her. Using her other three legs, Anari tried to claw her way out of the slowly growing wall of snow, but it was no use. Her leg gave her too much pain. She put her head down. The effort was too much. It was exhausting her. Despite how hot it was getting, Anari felt herself start to close her eyes. It would be so easy just to end it all right there. She could go to Heaven, and eat all the goats and rabbits she could ever want. Her eyelids drooped until they closed. She didn't feel the snow anymore as it slowly started to bury her.

**/One Shining Day/**

Hiro was a white goat with a darker underbelly and big brown eyes. He was slightly bigger than the goats of his flock, and therefore could have easily gotten all the females, but he prefered to wander around the forest, eating tasty plants and gazing across Pleasant Valley at the beautiful flowers.

On this day however, he couldn't do that. The blizzard that had come the night before had covered up all the flowers. He still liked to look at the snow that glittered on the ground, though. It was quickly melting as the last day of winter made room for the sun to come out and cast its rays to the ground. He trotted happily through the forest and came out onto a plain. He scanned the area for any patch of grass that he could possibly eat. Then he saw something dark sticking in the air. He tilted his head in confusion. It was half buried in the snow, which still covered most of everything. Hiro trotted towards it to get a better look.

"What is that?" he said to himself. It was a large, black nose. Hiro was surprised it wasn't frozen. He was curious as to what kind of animal the nice belonged to. _'It could be a wolf,' _he thought. _'Or, it could be a herbivore, like a deer.' _His curiosity got the best of him. Hiro went around to one side of the nose and started using his front hooves to dig. Soon, he touched something warm and furry. It was white. It only sparked his curiosity. He would've smelled it, but the snow had covered nearly all of the scent. When he stopped again, Hiro saw that the lower half of the animal had a long, fluffy tail and sharp black claws on its back paws. It was way to large to be a goat, and since it had claws, it could only be one thing.

"A w-wolf," Hiro whispered in fright. Despite the wolf probably being dead, he backed up a little. But why should he be afraid? It was dead. It wasn't going to hurt him. And if he dug it up, then he'd be able to finally see a wolf up close without getting eaten. So for the next few minutes, he focused on undigging the body. When he was finished, he was surprised to find that the wolf was completely white, and was a female. He had never seen a female before. Then he saw her leg, which was twisted at an odd angle.

"That must be how she died," Hiro said. He sniffed at it. It was definitely sprained. "She must have been in a lot of pain." As Hiro kept sniffing, he noticed something. He could feel a faint wind near her muzzle. "She's alive!" She must have passed out during the night. "I can't just leave her here." After a few minutes, Hiro suddenly had an idea. He went behind the wolf and stood up on his back legs, then used his front hooves to grab onto the she-wolf's back paws, and started dragging her through the slushy snow and into a more forest area. Vines hung down from the trees, and after making sure the wolf was in a secure place, Hiro bit some vines off the trees and tied them together to make a sort of sling. Using the sling, he carefully managed to put the wolf's injured leg into the sling. It must have hurt really bad, but the wolf didn't stir.

Yawning, Hiro walked a few feet away from the wolf and lay down. He stared at her for a while until his eyes drooped, and he went to sleep.

A while later, he woke to the sound of growling. The she-wolf had woken up and was baring her teeth at him. At first he was terrified and was ready to bolt, but then he noticed that she was still lying down. _'Her leg must still be hurting her.'_ Hiro thought. So he stood there, both staring at the other.

"Why don't you run goat?" Anari growled. "I could tear you to pieces right now."

"Not with that leg," Hiro said. Anari snarled and tried to stand so that she could attack him, but yelped in pain as soon as she sat up. "You shouldn't move. That leg of yours is injured pretty badly."

Anari sniffed the sling which her leg was in. "You did this?" Hiro nodded. "Why?"

"I thought you were dead at first, but I thought that in case you weren't, you'd-"

"Spare you? Don't be ridiculous. As soon as I'm healed, I'm going to rip you limb from limb."

"Then I guess I better get out of here." Hiro turned and started to walk away, then stopped when he heard a loud grumbling noise. "Was that your stomach?" he asked as he turned back to the she-wolf.

"No!" she growled. "Go away!" Her stomach rumbled again. Hiro smiled and chuckled.

"I'll see if I can get you something to eat."

"I don't need your help!" But Hiro had already started trotting off towards the forest. Maybe he'd find some small field mice or something. But how would he catch them? He couldn't kill them. He didn't have the heart to do that. Maybe there was a carcass and he could bring something back.

"I can't believe I was right," Hiro groaned. A whole bunch of crows were circling above a large kill of a deer. It was abandoned, and had huge chunks of meat ripping out of it. Flys buzzed all around it, and Hiro nearly yacked up his lunch because of the smell. Holding his breath, Hiro dived towards the carcass and quickly grabbed at a bone that was sticking out, and tugged as hard as he could. It came off easily, and he almost fell back. He ran at full speed back to the she-wolf, who was sulking. The smell of the meat and blood made her raise her head and perk her ears.

"What is this?" she asked suspiciously as Hiro dropped the meat in front of her. He had almost passed out because of not breathing, and now he stepped back and was taking big gulps of air.

"It's... for you," he breathed. Then he sighed. "The smell was awful." Without so much as a thank you, the she-wolf tore right into the meat with her sharp teeth, and in no time, all that was left was the bone, which she gnawed on. Her stomach was extending slightly from her body.

"Do you need anything else?" Hiro asked. The she-wolf looked at the goat with a little gratitude and confusion.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked.

"Well, why not?"

"We're enemies. I'm a wolf, you're a goat. Wolves eat goats. It's not natural."

"Well, that doesn't mean I can't help you. You could have died."

"... Thank you," she mumbled. Hiro smiled.

"You're welcome. My name's Hiro. What's your name?"

"... Anari."


	2. The Hunt and a Meeting

"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature."  
― Jane Austen, _Northanger Abbey_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

** The Hunt and a Meeting**

Hiro left Anari after he had made sure she didn't need anything else. When his scent faded away, Anari shook her head in confusion. What kind of a goat would help a wolf? A _wolf_? Was he mad? Surely he wasn't. But Anari was grateful. Hiro could have left her for dead. But instead, he had revived her. It _was _a kind thing to do. She'd have to about it later. But now, she had to get back to her pack.

Throwing her head to the sky, she howled as loud as she could, a howl that said "Here I am! Find me!" In no time, the pack was there, sniffing all over her, asking if she was alright and where she had been.

"My love, are you OK I was worried sick over you!" Barry said worriedly. Anari growled.

"We are _not_ mates Barry." But he wasn't listening.

"We'll take good care of you," Barry was saying. "Can you walk?"

"No."

"I'll carry you then." Barry hefted Anari onto his back and started to huff and puff his way towards Jumping Gorges with his pack following him.

When they got there, Barry took Anari to his cave, where he gave her a few rabbits to eat, but she said she wasn't hungry.

"Well, I'll just leave them here for you if you get hungry again," Barry said. He walked out to discuss topics with the pack. Meanwhile, Anari was busy thinking about that goat.

**/One Shining Day/**

Hiro finally hiked back to his herd, which was located on Pleasant Mountain.

"Hiro," Miina said when he got back. "Where have you been?"

"I just went near to Forest to graze for a bit," Hiro replied.

"Oh," Miina said. The pink goat started walking a little closer to Hiro. "Hiro, do you think... maybe you and I could go near Meadow? Just for a little while?"

"Well... I don't know."

"Oh come on, we haven't went there in a while." Miina looked him in the eyes. "It'll be fun."

"Well... OK. When do you want to go?"

"Right now!" Miina pranced around excitedly as Hiro led the way calmly towards the meadow. Miina was so happy that she hadn't noticed the scent of the meat or the wolf, which was quickly starting to fade, and that relieved him. He didn't want to be asked questions about where he had been, really. He had heard stories of a goat named Mei and a wolf named Gabu. They had went across the mountains in the hopes that they would find a forest where they could be friends without anyone prosecuting them. They were never heard from again. Hiro never thought about it until he met Anari. He had to admit, she did amuse him a little. Even though she couldn't even stand, she still said that she would eat him. Truthfully, he didn't know why he had decided to save her. If he would have let her die, then there would have been one less wolf to hunt them.

_'I'd better keep this a secret,'_ Hiro thought. _'No one would trust me if I told them what I did. They'd think that I was fraternizing with the wolves.'_

"Hiro, are you OK?" Miina asked. Hiro snapped out of his thoughts. He had already walked into the Meadow, and the two of them stood in the middle of it. All kinds of plants, from dandelions and sunflowers, to roses and berry bushes and fruits trees made up the Meadow. Goats liked to come here, but it was a little dangerous because wolves often liked to hunt here.

"Oh, I'm alright. Just thinking." Suddenly, Miina tackled Hiro into the soft grass. "Miina!"

"Come on silly," Miina said playfully. "We're here to play." She grabbed his ear in her mouth and tugged. With a playful bleat, Hiro pushed Miina off ran through the field, turning their play into a game of chase. In the end, Hiro ended up on top of Miina.

"You know," Miina started, "I've liked you for a while now, Hiro." Hiro looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah. I have too. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No silly. I mean... Like, like you." Hiro blushed through his fur and sat up on the grass in front of Miina.

"Well, I uh-"

"It's OK if you don't like me like that," Miina said, sitting up. "I just wanted to let you know. And can you not mention this to the other goats?"

"Is that why you wanted to get me alone with you?"

"Yeah."

Hiro gave her a smile. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks." Miina sat next to him and nuzzled his cheek. "You know, whoever gets to be your mate is going to be very lucky."

Hiro smiled. "Thanks. The same to you."

After that, Hiro and Miina went back to Pleasent Mountain and thankfully didn't run into any wolves.

**/One Shining Day/**

A few days later was all it took for Anari's leg to heal. After that, she was up and ready for anything. The first thing she did was go out hunting. Hiro was out of her mind, so she was totally focused on the task at hand.

They had decided to go to Crumbling Hills. It was early spring, so the plants that the goats love would be in full bloom.

Barry led one team, while another wolf, named Juni, led another group. Anari had no choice but to go with Barry, because he had apparently picked an area where lots of goats were eating. Just burying her fangs in her flesh made her mouth water.

As the team looked around, Anari spotted one goat off all by itself. _'Foolish creatures,'_ she thought. There was a little fog, so her white fur helped her blend in.

"Barry," she whispered, "there's one right over there." Barry looked over and smiled viciously.

"Good work Anari," he whispered back. "Everyone, surround that goat over there." The rest of the wolves nodded and, slowly and silently started to surround it. But it didn't move. That was weird. Anari got into position and couldn't help but growl low in her throat in the heat of the excitement. The goat, who was grazing, immediately lifted its head to look around. At the moment, Anari rushed at it, baring her fangs and snarling. Then she stopped. It was Hiro! He apparently seemed surprised too, but surprise kicked into terror, and he dodged her snapping jaws long enough to try and run away, but there was where another wolf was waiting. Hiro stopped just in time and the wolf missed, falling on his front. Hiro jumped on his back and managed to land on top of a large boulder, and barely escaped the jaws of Barry.

"I'll get him!" Anari growled. She made quite a leap onto the rock and managed to pull herself up using her front paws.

"That a girl, Anari!" Barry called, but Anari ignored him. Hiro had disappeared into the mist, which was starting to get thicker.

"Go and hunt some others, while I take care of this one," Anari said behind her.

"Will do," Barry said, and led the wolves to find other goats.

_'I thought he was supposed to be the alpha,'_ she thought. Suddenly, she heard a rustle a few feet away from her, and made a leap to where she thought she heard it. She landed on the body of a goat, which she could smell was Hiro. She was about to bite him in the throat, but he yelled, "Wait!" For some reason, Anari stopped to see what he had to say.

"Whatever you have to say, make it quick goat," she growled.

"What? I-I thought you remembered me. I'm Hiro, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. And now I have to forget. Wolves and goats can_not_ be friends."

"But why? I would never tell anyone?"

Anari growled in annoyance. "It's a crime against nature! It isn't right! Now shut up so I can kill you!"

"Just please listen! There's an old barn in the Thunder Forest, it's where a lot of thunderstorms come, but I don't think there'll be a storm the rest of this week. Can you meet me there tomorrow at noon? Please?"

"Why should I listen to you?"

"I saved your life. The least you could do is meet me there." Anari pondered her choices for a second. If she just ate him, she'd have a full stomach and would accomplish what she came here for. If she agreed to meeting him, she'd get to see what he wanted to show her.

_'I could always eat him if he tries to run away,'_ she thought. Then she nodded and backed away. "Fine. I'll let you go, and we'll meet tomorrow." Hiro breathed a sigh of relief, but then yelped in fright when Anari stood on her back legs to pin him up against the rock with her paw. "But if you lie, and you're not there, I'll make sure the entire pack annihilates every goat in our hunting range."

"O-of course," Hiro stuttered. Anari let him drop to the ground and watch as he ran away.

_'If word got out I let that goat escape, I don't know what I'd do. I don't want to face Barry's wrath,'_ she thought. She went to all fours again and raised her nose to sniff the air. There was another goat nearby. Anari grinned.

**/One Shining Day/**

Hiro huffed and puffed as he ran as hard as he could away from Crumbling Hills as he possibly could. If he ran into another wolf, they wouldn't be as gracious as Anari. Thankfully, he managed to get away, and looked back to see the fog lifting from the place. He saw the bodies of the wolves as they chased the goats, and strangely, he didn't feel any fear when he saw Anari chasing one. He was frightened when Anari pinned him to the rock and threatened him, but felt gratitude and respect towards her when he let her go. As he stood there, he actually admired the way she ran, the long strides she took, and how the muscles rippled under her fur. He had never seen anyone so concentrated on something, and when he looked into her eyes, even though he saw wildness and apathy, he saw a lot of intellegience, something he didn't see much in any other animal, except maybe himself. His vision was broken when she tackled the goat she had been chasing, and took him down with one swift bite. Then he realized with horrible realization that it was Tapu. At that moment, he had to turn away.

Later on that day, when they sun was on its way down and it cast an orange-red glow on the sky, Hiro was with the rest of the flock, resting in the grass. Miina walked up to him and said, "Did you hear about Tapu?"

"What?" Hiro asked sleepily. "Oh. Yeah. I'm sorry that he died."

"Yeah, we all are." With a sigh, Miina lay down next to him. "You know, he had a mate."

"He did?" Hiro asked, surprised. He didn't know that Tapu, of all the goats, had a mate.

"Yeah. But she was killed too."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"The Elder said that we may have to start mating season early because of how the wolves are hunting us," Miina said casually. Hiro stiffened. At every mating season, he always went away because he was so nervous about the thought of mating.

"Um, O-OK. When does it start?"

"Tomorrow. And I was just wondering-"

"Oh, I uh, have to meet a friend tomorrow."

"A friend? What friend? Everyone will be here."

"Um. He's from another meadow. Way, way over the mountains, and such. He's only staying for a short time, and I just want to make sure he gets home safely. I'll be back before you know it."

"Well... OK." Miina looked downcast.

"Don't worry," Hiro said sincerely, "I'll be back. I promise."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Amusement glinted in his eyes. "Now, can I get some rest?"

Miina smiled. "Sure."

**/One Shining Day/**

Anari paced back and forth, her patience wearing out quickly. She had gotten to the barn and sat there for almost an hour, and Hiro still hadn't come.

_'I swear, if he's not here in a few seconds, I'm gonna-' _

"Hey! Anari!" Hiro's voice called. The white wolf's thoughts were interupted, and she saw Hiro coming towards her through the bushes. "Sorry I was late."

"I thought maybe I'd have to go and hunt you down," Anari said. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

"I just wanted to talk. You know, get to know each other."

"Hiro, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a wolf. You're a goat. We don't make friends. You run, I eat you. End of discussion."

"I know, I know. It's just that... I've been thinking... maybe it's just possible we can be friends."

"Me? Friends with you?" Anari burst out into a laugh that quickly made Hiro's idea seem as stupid as possible. "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard."

"Then why don't you eat me?" Hiro challenged. Anari licked her muzzle.

"Fine. I will."

"Wait! I was kidding!" Anari grinned and laughed again. Hiro smiled and chuckled nervously.

"So... do you have any hobbys?"

"Wait, I never agreed to this Hiro. It's weird enough that I'm talking to you. I don't want to have some sort of bond with you."

"Why not?"

"We're total opposites."

"But opposites attract, as they say."

"... You're too smart to be a goat. Are you a monkey or something? Or maybe a wolf like me in disguise." This made Hiro laugh.

"That was pretty funny," he said. "You must tell lots of jokes to your pack."

"Actually, I don't. I don't really like being there. If Barry wasn't alpha, I'd be as happy as can be. But he keeps trying to get me to be his mate, though I can't imagine what he would do if he found out I was talking with a goat instead of eating it."

"Well, we can keep it between us, just me and you. A secret."

"That's some secret."

"Haven't you heard the story of the other goat and wolf? Their names were Mei and Gabu."

"I don't know about Mei, but my pack has told the tale of Gabu and his goat pal many times." By now, Anari and Hiro were sitting down. "They said that he betrayed the pack by becoming friends with a goat. They chased the two all the way to the Mountain before they killed them."

"That's not what I heard. I heard that they survived and crossed the Mountain and live in a beautiful green forest, and their still best friends."

"And who told you that?"

"The forest animals, birds, squirrels, chipmunks and the like. I don't think they'd say it to you because they'd..."

"Run away, yeah."

"I didn't mean anything bad by that-"

"I know. It's OK."

"... Well, how about we meet again tomorrow? Same time?"

"Sure." Anari stood up and stretched, as did Hiro. "I... had a good time talking. Thanks for inviting me."

Hiro smiled. "No problem. I had fun too." He started walking off in the direction where his flock lived. "Goodbye!"

"Bye!" Anari called back. Then he was gone. She sighed. She couldn't believe what she was doing. She should have eaten the goat. But something, other than curiosity held her back. She didn't know what. But whatever it was, she hoped it would'nt get her, or Hiro into trouble.

_'I could use a rabbit,'_ Anari thought. And with the thought of hunting in mind, she made her way back towards Jumping Gorges.


	3. However It Turns Out

"You can go through life and make new friends every year - every month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel."— Alexander McCall Smith

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Anari opened her eyes and stretched, and yawned. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, casting a red glow over the sky. She sat up and scanned the rocky clearing where the other wolves were sleeping. Barry was asleep in his cave. Anari stepped silently around the bodies of the sleeping wolves to go to an area that was inside Jumping Gorges, but that was more grassy than anywhere else there. When she got there, she sat down with a sigh and looked up at the sky. Life was so damn hard now. It was easy before she met that goat.

_'No one has to know about it,' _said a voice in her mind. _'Just keep on hunting and no one will ever figure it out.'_

_'And what if they question why I'm always going places?' _Anari challenged.

_'Then tell them to mind their own business. It doesn't involve them.'_

_'Knowing Barry he'll keep pestering me until I tell him.'_

_'You can always carry out your threats to his life.'_

Anari groaned. There was so many wolf laws she was breaking. But no one even had a clue that she was seeing Hiro. She could probably keep on seeing him into her adult years and beyond. But what about outside forces? Like the weather, or sickness, or even another wolf? They wouldn't hesitate to take Hiro's life if given the chance, and Anari couldn't defend him, or she'd be torn to bits by the pack.

Anari shook her head and scratched at her neck. All this complicated thinking was giving her a headache! She stood up and stretched one last time. Maybe a walk through the meadow would help clear her thoughts and give her the answer.

**/One Shining Day/**

Hiro was currently in the Forest. Mating season had started, and he had silently and quickly slipped away. He didn't know why, but just the thought of mating creeped him out. There were all kinds of gross things that happened, and he just couldn't stomach it.

_'Just thinking about a boy and a girl's parts touching makes me...' _Hiro shook his head. He had to stop thinking about it or he'd taste his lunch a second time. Sitting down, he looked up at the sky. Some leaves from the trees had blocked some of it, and faint light came in through the gaps.

_'I wonder what Anari's doing.'_ Hiro thought unconsciously. As the goat started to think more and more about the white she-wolf, he started to wonder about her eating habits. Weirdly, he'd rather think about that than mating. It seemed more natural. Wolves eat goats, goats eat grass, that was the way of life. But mating? No no, that was out of the question. If Hiro had to spend his whole life without kids, then fine by him.

Hiro stood back up and started walking out of the forest. _'Might as well get to the barn.'_

**/One Shining Day/**

As Anari walked towards the meadow, her nose picked up the scent of a large gathering of goats. By the slight change in their scent, it told her that they were currently having mating season, with the males fighting each other for the females. Normally, Anari would have just skirted it and gone in another direction, since the males are actually more aggressive during this time. However, her stomach told her otherwise, since she hadn't eaten earlier. She licked her muzzle. They may be aggressive, but if the hunt went successfully, then the goat meat would be delicious.

So with that thought, Anari bent her legs so that she was nearly hidden by the grass, and started stalking a female goat that was nearest to her. It was so caught up in sexually heat, that it didn't notice Anari getting closer and closer, but the male did. With a loud bleat, he charged at her and nearly hit her with his horns, which would have been painful. Anari managed to dodge it, but the goat wanted her out of the area completely, and prepared to charge again. However, Anari wasn't about to be beaten by her prey. With a snarl, she lunged catching the goat in the side of his neck as he tried to turn and run away. Instinct taking over, she shook as hard as she could until she heard his neck snap. Then she carried her prize out of the meadow triumphantly, the blood already making her feel even hungrier.

She ate her meal a little ways away, and did feel a little confusion. Throughout all of the hunt, she hadn't seen Hiro, nor scented him. No one from the pack had woken before her, she was sure, and so he couldn't have been killed by her pack-mates. _'I'll look for him later,' _she thought, and got back to her meal. When she was finished, she left the goats to their business and went to the barn. It was almost mid-day any way.

When she got there, she found Hiro already sitting there, chewing a patch of grass.

"Hey Hiro," Anari called, trotting up to him. "Why weren't you at the meadow?"

"T-the meadow?" Hiro stuttered through the grass. "Why would I need to be there?"

"It's mating season for the goats. Why wouldn't you be there?"

"I wanted to see you." Hiro said it a little too quickly, but Anari decided to ignore it. Hiro swallowed the rest of the grass and sat down.

"How long do you think we can keep this up?" Anari asked, sitting next to him. "If the pack finds out, they'll probably kill me and you. Or if Barry decides to take pity on me, he'll force me to be his mate, never allow me to leave Jumping Gorges, and he'll still kill you."

"But-"

"Or if you're herd finds out, they'll exile you and then you'll be susceptible to attacks by the pack. If I step in and try to save you, they'll find out and we'll be back to death."

"What do you think about it? The friendship I mean."

"I think it's overly dangerous and more than a little bit stupid." Anari smiled a bit. "However, I do feel a little rebellious because I'm breaking the rules. It's a good feeling."

Hiro chuckled. "Yeah, I feel the same way.

"Hey, I have an idea," he said suddenly.

"What?" Hiro jumped back, pawed the ground and shook his head. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you know how to play?" Hiro jumped on Anari, making her lose her balance a bit, but she smirked and pushed him away by his head.

"I don't think wolves and goats play the same way."

Hiro, who had been pushed so hard he rolled over on his stomach, sat up and rubbed his head. "Then how do wolves play?"

Anari looked up at the sky in thought. "We usually chase each other and playfight. It's almost like fighting, except no one's doing any harm."

"Oh, really? Us goats usually headbutt each other."

Anari rolled her eyes. "I can see how obvious that is because of the horns."

Hiro chuckled. "Yeah, I guess they are. So, why don't you tell me about yourself."

"What do you mean? Like what?"

"I'll start first. Let's see, you already know I live in Pleasant Meadow... OK! My favorite food are ferns, I don't really like to fight. I don't have any siblings, and my mother and father died in a wolf attack. Now your turn."

Anari raised an eye brow, but said, "I like to take hikes in the forest, I don't like, no, I hate Barry, my parents died last winter, and... do I really have to say my favorite food?" Hiro opened his mouth to anwer, but was interupted by a sharp thunder crack far off in the distance.

"I thought you said there wouldn't be any more thunderstorms this week."

Hiro looked embarresed and shrugged. "Oh well. It _is_ Thunderforest after all. I guess we better head on home."

"Yeah." Anari could already smell the air starting to turn humid. The storm was coming fast. "When's the next time you want to meet?"

"How about... tomorrow afternoon?"

"What's if it's raining?"

"We can go into the barn."

"Alright. See you till then." Anari stood up. On the way past Hiro, she nudged his cheek with her nose in affection. Hiro looked at her retreating form in shock until she disappeared around a tree. As he sat there and touched his cheek with his hoof, he felt a bubbly warmth in his stomach. It had been growing the past few days as he and Anari met each other. At first, he thought in love, but then dismissed it. It wasn't that strong. _'Is this our... friendship?' _he thought. It might as well be. He'd never felt like this about anyone else.

About a year ago, there was a female goat named Jena. She was extremely nice, and he fell head over hooves in love with her. If she hadn't have died in the same year, Hiro actually believed he would have mated with her and have kids. And the thing about it was, she didn't die in a wolf attack. She died during the winter, because she gave everyone else her food and starved to death. Maybe that was why Hiro had saved Anari. It was what Jena woud have done, he was sure of it. In fact, before he met her, he hated wolves. But now, he was fairly neutral about them. They were the predators and he was the prey, a simple fact of life, end of story. It was nature, it wasn't something you could fight.

"Then what are Anari and I doing?" he asked himself. When the first raindrop hit his fur, he shook it off and started back home, intent to get there before the real downpour started.

**/One Shining Day/**

Anari managed to get to Jumping Gorges just in time, as the rain started coming down when she walked into her den.

"Anari, where've you been?" asked one of the wolves.

"Why do you smell like goat?" another asked.

"I went hunting," Anari answered without any emotion, and went to the back of the den to lay down, her head on her paws. The other wolves left her alone and continued to chat idly. It was only the afternoon after all.

After a few minutes, the same wolf that had asked Anari the question, said to her, "Hey Anari, a rumor's been going around that you and Barry are going to be mates in a few days."

"Whoever started that rumor is an ass, Rend," Anari huffed without turning around. "Barry can go and eat his shit for all I care."

"Such a dirty mouth. You seem even more irritated today than usual." Rend smirked. She was the same size as Anari, and had dark brown fur and black paws and ear tips, with dark brown eyes.

"If you want, I can take it out on you."

"No no, I'd rather you not." Anari couldn't see him, but Rend's voice was filled with amusement. She padded over and sat down beside Anari. "Besides," she said, "if I were you, I'd let him mate with me until-"

Anari suddenly shot up, snarling. "If you want him so bad then why don't you tell him!" Rend backed up quickly, fear in her eyes.

"You don't have to get all angry, it was just a joke," Rend said, putting her paws up nervously. Anari growled in annoyance and shoved past Rend and the other wolves and into the storm.

"Where are you going?" Rend called. Anari didn't answer however, and soon was lost from sight.

"Do you think we should tell Barry?" one of the wolves asked.

"No," Rend said, "if she wants to catch a cold, then let her."

Anari did her best to ignore the rain as it pelted her body. She was sick and tired of the other wolves. She'd rather be a lone wolf, but she knew that Barry would find her and bring her back. Besides, where could she go? She knew no other place except for where she had been born. And what if she got lost? What if she couldn't find anything to eat and starve to death? What then? Well, she'd die of course, but that wasn't something Anari was ready to do quite yet.

Anari had walked a long way's away from Jumping Gorges, and her fur was soggy with the rain water. She managed to find a place where some trees blocked most of the rain, and she decided to lay there for the rest of the day, or at least until the storm was over. Overhead, the thunder boomed loudly in her ears, followed by the flash of lightning cutting across the sky. After a while, Anari was starting to get a little worried about the lightning. She'd never seen it flash this many times in one day. Suddenly, she nearly jumped out of her fur and gave a bark of fear when lightning struck the tree above her, immediately igniting it. Orange flames licked along the bark and spread fast, quickly gluing onto the other trees nearby. Ashes rained down on her head as Anari shot up and out from underneath the tree, until a large branch fell in her path, causing her to turn sharply and run in another direction. The rain did nothing to the fire, there was just too much wood and it was spreading too fast.

_'If I don't get out of here, I'll be trapped in a forest fire,' _Anari thought in fear and panic. As she ran, she could feel the heat from the fire on her haunches. _'There's no way it could have gotten here that fast!' _She pushed herself to run harder, but the fire was faster, burning the trees to her side, and then in front of her, until she could feel the heat all around her. _'Damnit it! Someone help!' _


	4. Escape From The Fire

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."  
— C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves (The C.))

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Escape From The Fire**

Hiro stared lazily at the gray misty background of the rain. He lay with his legs tucked underneath him and his head on the cool surface of the cave floor, where he had taken shelter from the rain. Mating season was still going on, so there was no doubt his fellow goats were busy copulating with each other to make the next generation.

Hiro had always liked kids. Mothers in the herd would often let him play with the young, and he even knew most of the younger ones in the herd, who regarded him as a kind of uncle. But Hiro had never really been close to anyone in the herd, especially after Jena died. _'Come to think of it, I think Anari's my only friend.' _He considered that a bit ironic, how he would make friends with a wolf and not with his own kind. But he didn't really think about it was a problem. It had been already been five days and no one had found out about their relationship. Maybe they could keep this up after all.

As his thoughts continued to wander, Hiro suddenly thought about what some of the birds were saying about a month before. Since birds get around a lot, Hiro like to speak with them on occasion just out of curiosity. He really prefered speaking with the more intelligent ones, like owls or eagles, predatory birds. The smaller birds were more hyper and tended to get off topic easily. But he remembered one sparrow talking about a wolf and a goat that lived together on the other side of the Mountain. At first Hiro thought it was all nonsense. It was a sparrow after all. But then again, he did hear about that tale sometimes in his herd. Whenever they spoke of it, it was usually in groups and quiet whispers. On one occasion, Hiro tried to get close enough to eavesdrop, but the conversation stopped almost immediately and the band dispersed and continued to graze.

_'If it's really true, then I wonder if Anari and I could go over the mountain...' _Hiro's eyes started to droop as the smell and steady sound of the rain started to make him a bit sleepy...

Suddenly, he saw it. At first he took no notice of it, thought of it as a mere mirage in the rain. But when yellow flames started to appear in the tops of the trees of the Forest, he stood up in alarm. There was a forest fire!_ 'And since the rain hasn't put it out already,_ _it must be a bad one!' _Hiro wanted to get as far away from that place as possible. When a forest fire started, chances are it wouldn't just settle with the forest. The chance that it would spread to the meadow was low because of the rain, but still possible.

He was just about to run into the rain when he heard a howl cut through the sound of the rain. Now, Hiro couldn't understand the messages in the howl of a wolf. But he knew that only the wolf howled, and when you hear it, you run as far away from the source as possible. But for some reason, the idea that Anari could be in there popped in his head. After all, he did know the difference between a male and a female wolf's howl. The male's was a bit higher than the female's, and Hiro had only heard one female howl, and that was Anari's. Deciding it was well-worth the risk if it was her, Hiro decided to follow his gut and head towards the howling in the forest.

When he arrived only within the span of a minute or two, the heat was scorching and Hiro had to squint his eyes to see through the glare of the light the fire made. He coughed as he breathed in the smoke and his eyes started to water up, but he continued on, looking here and there for a wolf, hopefully Anari.

He jumped over fallen logs, turned corners, and avoided the embers as they rained down upon the forest floor. He had to dig his hooves nearly all the way into the ground to stop himself just as a tree toppled just in front of him, sending up sparks and a fresh batch of smoke. He was so disoriented and confused, the smoke made it hard to breathe and it was so hot. He jumped when a flame singed his side, and it burned with a hurt he'd never felt before. He was immediately regretting going into the forest. Anari wasn't here. He probably heard the howl from a wolf that was far away from here, and now he'd probably die because of his wasted effort.

The wolf that struck Hiro in a dead run was so surprising and sudden that Hiro had did nothing at first. Only when he felt claws grip him and the hot breath of the wolf did he kick out with his back legs and jump free. The burn still hurting, Hiro stood only a few feet from this wolf. At first, he thought it was Anari, and delight went through him. But it was squashed into fear and disappointment when the wolf stood up, shook itself, and growled at him, showing its fangs. It had dark brown fur, probably nearly black because of the ashes. And with dark brown eyes, it clearly wasn't Anari. Without a second thought, Hiro turned tail and ran as fast as he could, fear driving him blindly through the fire. Adrenaline reduced the pain of his burn wound and made him ignore everything else that touched him, for the wolf was getting closer and closer. He even heard the click of its teeth missing his leg by only an inch.

**One Shining Day**

Anari was coughing so hard she could hardly get a breath in. The smoke was suffocating and thick, and she could hardly see. It burned her eyes and she had to squint and keep rubbing them, which made it worse because the ash irritated them. Her normally white coat was now a light gray and getting darker because of the ash. After she had howled, she decided to stay put until her pack came to rescue her. No doubt they would probably hesitate at first, but Barry would make them go in.

Just as she suspected, Barry burst through the flames and skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Follow me!" he said quickly, before jumping back through the flames he had come through. Anari got to her paws and followed as hard and fast as she could, as she wanted badly to breathe some fresh air and get away from the heat. In no time they both had caught up to the rest of the pack, who were all now running towards the exit of the forest. Suddenly across their path, a goat sped by, which was followed by one of the wolves from the pack, who Anari recognized as Rend. She had seen the fur of the goat, and instantly knew that it was Hiro, and with the current settings, there was almost no doubt that he would either perish in the fire or get killed by Rend. Almost without thinking, Anari turned and ran after them, ignoring Barry's shout of alarm.

When she thought she would quickly become lost in the inferno, she discovered Rend stuck underneath a fallen branch. She must have followed Hiro underneath it trying to get at him, and then found she was stuck. No doubt Hiro escaped since she didn't see him anywhere. Rend grunted as she scrabbled at the ground with her claws, trying desperately to get free. Anari stood there, stuck between two choices. If she helped Rend get out from underneath the branch, then there was a risk of Hiro getting killed in the flames. But if she ran to save Hiro, Rend would see her go past, and if she survived, would tell the entire pack what she had done.

She sneezed as the ash started to get heavier, then made her decision. Hurrying over to the log, Anari put her front paws on the log and pushed with all her strength. Little by little, the log started to move slowly until Rend was able to pull herself out from underneath it. Without making sure she was following, Anari let the log drop and she turned around and ran in the direction that she took to get there. Soon she rejoined Barry and the rest of the pack, and they made it out of the forest. It was still raining, but Anari couldn't care less. She would rather take the cold water droplets than burning fire any day.

They didn't stop until they reached a cave that smelled strongly of goat, but since there wasn't anything there, they decided to take refuge there until the rain stopped or let up. In the distance, they could see the forest fire start to sizzle out as more rain came pouring down. The entire pack was panting from the excursion of the rescue, and most sat down to rest on the cool floor of the cave, including Anari. She licked her paws that were sore from running so much, and she even thought the pad was bleeding.

Barry rushed over to her, sniffing along her body and ignoring her annoyed growls. "Are you alright Anari?" he asked, worry clear in his voice, "I thought you were a goner."

"I'm fine, Barry," Anari turned her body around so that she wasn't facing him. "Leave me alone." For a second, Barry felt a flash of anger. He shook it off and padded away to converse with the rest of the pack.

Anari felt extremely tired from all the excitement, fear, and danger she had went through. Not only was her body tired, but her mind felt ready to slip off into sleep also. Her eyes started to droop and she stretched her body out some more, the cool, hard floor starting to feel more comfortable than before.

She must have slept for a while, because when she was awakened by a prodding in her side, the rain had stopped and it completely put out the forest fire. Rend was the one who woke her up.

"The rain's stopped," Rend said. "It's time for us to go home now." Anari yawned, stood up, and stretched both her back legs, before shaking herself. She still felt tired, but home sounded good right about then. She nodded and followed the rest of the pack as the exited the cave. She hung back until she was near the very back of the pack, giving her a chance to gaze at the charred remains of the forest that she had known to be there ever since she was born. The whole forest had been burned to the ground. All that was left was the burnt black trees that had fallen in the fire. The entire area, where there was once rivers and beautiful green plants that supported life, was black and gray with ashes floating around it. The sight saddened Anari, as she remembered it was also the place where she had first met Hiro.

_'Hiro.' _She wondered where he was. She had not seen him since she had picked to save Rend over him when they were in the middle of the forest fire. _'Whatever happened to him, I hope he's okay,' _she thought worriedly.

Barry called her name, bringing her out of her thoughts and tearing her gaze away from the forest. She had slowed down and was starting to get left behind. She sped up to a trot to catch up. She had to convince herself that Hiro was okay. She wouldn't be able to know for sure until the next day, when she was fully rested.

A few minutes later, the pack went from a walk to a run, as everyone was eager to get home.


End file.
